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S&D Euro MPs today in Strasbourg backed a revision of an EU law tightening up controls on firearms, including a ban on civilian use of the most dangerous weapons. Automatic firearms converted into semi-automatic weapons and semi-automatic weapons with a loading device exceeding 20 rounds will be banned from civilian use. Museums, collectors and sport shooters will be granted reasonable exemptions.

S&D Group negotiator Sergio Cofferati MEP said:

“After a long and difficult discussion we managed to reach a balanced agreement on this sensitive issue, which received great attention. The new directive strengthens the rules and tackles the loopholes in the current regime, in particular allowing better traceability and information-exchanges between authorities, more stringent rules on deactivation, limiting the use of the most dangerous semi-automatic firearms and requiring monitoring systems for checking the medical conditions of users. We achieved these results without criminalising the normal user and while preserving the current rights of legal owners.”

S&D Group spokesperson for the committee on internal market and consumer protection, Nicola Danti MEP, added:

“Today the European Parliament is delivering a positive outcome to EU citizens to increase public security. With this reform we want to ensure that the most dangerous weapons do not fall into the wrong hands by enhancing traceability and effective controls, whilst at the same time guaranteeing the rights for all categories which legally possess firearms, such as sport shooters and hunters.”